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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29981823">Normal</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Voidilie/pseuds/Voidilie'>Voidilie</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Death, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 17:27:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>267</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29981823</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Voidilie/pseuds/Voidilie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When people ignore horrific crimes to keep up a facade of normalcy, they become accomplices.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Normal</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ember Hill was a normal town.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Father Markus went missing, no one batted an eye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They found a new pastor, and life went on as before.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ember Hill was a normal town.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When his body showed up, mangled by the river, no one questioned it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a funeral, and that was that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No one spoke about it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ember hill was a normal town.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When the child came forwards, no one said a word.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No one came to their defense.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No one seemed to care.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ember Hill was a normal town.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When the men in the white cars came, there was some protest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘They were just a child, how would they know?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘He was a respected member of the community.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But their excuses fell of deaf ears.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ember Hill was a normal town.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When the child was taken away, no one spoke of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their parents decided to have another child, and that was that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ember Hill was a normal town.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When the child’s parents went missing, no one said a word.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even when months passed with no sign of them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ember Hill was a normal town.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When they, too, were found by that river, it went unspoken of.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There were funerals. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ember Hill was a normal town.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No one dared to speak a word of the incident.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not even when the disappearances added up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not even when the riverbed was stained a deep red that never went away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not even when they knew why.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ember Hill was a normal town.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ember Hill was a normal town.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Ember Hill was a normal town.</b>
</p>
  </div></div>
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